We wanted to make the 10,000th review on Metal-Rules.com something that represented the site, and for me personally, something that means something. While having another review of this classic is not imperative, it is a perfect choice for what it represents.

SCREAMING FOR VENGEANCE is the album that kicked things off for, and set me on the proper metal path. My introduction to the band, and this album, was in 1983, the year after this masterpiece was released. I was just a kid in elementary school. There was no web. I was too young to be have been introduced to pretty much anything in the way of metal up until that time. So fittingly for the time period, there was a guy a grade ahead of me in school who used to play a ghetto blaster loudly in the parking lot. I remember he often played a specific song that I thought was super cool. When I found out that it was "You've Got Another Thing Comin'" by Judas Priest, the album upon which it was contained was included in my next sign up to Columbia House (anyone else remember that?). When my order arrived, the Priest album was the only one that I was excited about. The rest were soon after traded in at a used music store for other bands similar to Priest.

So with that intro as a backdrop, it's not possible to overstate the impact that this band, and specifically this album has made on me. To this day, some 31 years later, I still love this album to death! There are still songs on here that fire me up and make me smile!

The opening intro of “The Hellion” is a pure steel buildup to the Orwellian themed “Electric Eye”, a song that remains in Priest’s setlist to this day...and it’s no wonder, the power and driving force this one packs makes it one of the bands best songs, period. “Riding On The Wind” begins with some cool drums from the normally low-key Dave Holland. The punchiness of the intro still sounds fresh and heavy to me to this day. Halford’s vocals on this one and on the chorus where he holds the long note is simply majestic. “Bloodstone” features an interesting guitar intro which sounds unlike anything else they’ve done to these ears. The commercial song “(Take These) Chains” has such an eerie intro...like something from a dreamy 4am lonely sounding morning. I have always wished it went on longer. Next is my least favorite track on the album “Pain and Pleasure”. It’s ok, but plods a bit with a boring drums and a chorus that doesn’t lift the song anywhere. Thankfully, it’s followed by perhaps the album’s best song, the glorious title track, the raw and intense “Screaming for Vengeance” featuring the metal god wailing maniacally. I also particularly love the solos in this one, classic. The big hit of the album is next with “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’”. It has been played to death and yes I am kinda tired of it, at least when I think about it, but every time it comes on when I play the album, I never skip it, after all, it is the first metal song I can remember hearing! Next is the mellower “Fever” with a sad sounding intro similar to “(Take These) Chains”; again I love the clean guitars and the metal god’s vocals in both of these. The mellow part around 3:30 is then followed by some godly vocals beginning with the line “So destiny has brought us oh so close together". The contrasting in this song is brilliant making this an underrated song IMO. Album closer “Devil’s Child”, despite it’s simple AC/DC verse riff, and confusing line “Eat my diamonds” (I never got that one? haha) is a grower of a song. The chorus is vicious, and my fav part of the song is easily the part beginning with “You took my heart and left it blown to smithereens….” this is inspired vocal genius!! Every time I hear this part I am in awe. We don’t call Halford the Metal God for nothing!

Many bands have covered songs from this album, and while none have, nor will ever top the original, its goes to show the impact this band continues to have. Some classic rock stations sometimes may play the recognizable track “You've Got Another Thing Comin'”, however, this is NOT classic rock. This is classic British HEAVY METAL from the band that took the genre first developed by Black Sabbath and then DEFINED the genre. If you like metal at all, this album is a must have. If you like metal, and you don’t like this album, we’re not friends. haha. I bow down to the gods of metal and this album will be forever etched into my being for all eternity.